Season Disintegrating For Post Falls Boys Track

What’s happened to the Post Falls High boys track team?

It’s been a strange year for coach Wade Quesnell.

First the Trojans lost returning sprinter and relay participant Adam Fehling before the season started.

Fehling decided to let a yearlong groin injury heal after he injured it last summer during football camp. The injury was aggravated during the football season.

It didn’t heal during basketball, either. The returning starter at quarterback, Fehling took the spring off hoping the injury would finally heal.

Josh Mort, one of the top sprinters in the state, didn’t become eligible until last week. He dropped a class that he needed for graduation and had to do a correspondence class to make up for it.

Mort had attended practices, but running in practice and in meets is a big difference.

Last week, Mort left practice to get a tux for the prom but failed to tell his coaches. Mort was held out of the Super-1 Invitational.

It gets worse.

Shawn Michaels, a key sprinter on Trojan relays, was lost for the season last week when he tore a hamstring in the final 10 meters of a relay.

And senior weight specialist Austin Lee, the defending state champ in the shot put, re-injured a shoulder injury from football at the Inland Empire Invitational at Moscow two weeks ago.

He won’t throw again until the A-1 Region I state-qualifying meet May 9 at Lewiston. He’s in danger of not being able to defend his state title.

Post Falls, a power among Inland Empire League teams in recent years, has fallen off the pace now set by sprinter-heavy Lewiston.

Even if the Trojans had been healthy this spring, they wouldn’t have challenged Lewiston.

But they might have been able to put together a relay or two to challenge for medals at state.

Most area teams will compete in the annual Lakeland Relays, a twilight meet beginning at 4 p.m. Friday at Corbit Field.

Busy week ahead

Teams and athletes begin their quests for state berths next week.

In baseball, two Inland Empire League and Intermountain League teams advance to state. Defending State A-2 champion Lakeland will be difficult to dethrone if league play is any indication.

And the way Coeur d’Alene is playing at the moment reminds folks of the Vikings’ season two years ago when they finished runners-up at state behind champion Lewiston.

In softball, IEL and IML teams will decide two berths each to the first Idaho High School Activities Association-sanctioned state tournaments.

The State A-1 and A-2 tournaments will be in Coeur d’Alene on May 16-17.

Century mark

Longtime Sandpoint soccer coach Ed Bock reached a milestone last week when the Bulldogs gave their coach his 100th career victory.

A 13-0 victory over Bonners Ferry gave Bock, in his 10th season, a 100-32-24 mark.

All-star grid game

Plans are being made for the annual District I-II All-Star football game for the standout graduating players in North Idaho.

The game will be played May 31 at Coeur d’Alene’s Viking Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

CdA athletic director Larry Schwenke, one of the event’s organizers, said invitations have been sent out to the top seniors of each school. Rosters should be finalized soon, he said.

Retiring Post Falls head coach Jerry Lee will coach District I. Sandpoint head coach Satini Puailoa is assisting Lee with several details.

Amos recruiting

New Coeur d’Alene High football coach Shawn Amos is trying to help recruit a coach for his former post at Kellogg.

And he tried to keep it in the family this week. His younger brother, Kelly, head football, wrestling and track coach at Clearwater Valley, turned the job down Tuesday when he couldn’t land his wife a job.

“He’s the athletic department at Clearwater Valley,” Shawn mused. “He really wanted to come up here, but you have to look out for your family first. He was disappointed. He’s good for kids and would have been tremendous here.”

Shawn Amos doesn’t want just anybody taking over his job.

“We worked hard to turn the program around; the kids here will work hard for you,” Amos said.

Amos now is trying to lure Coeur d’Alene High grad Tim Sperber to Kellogg. Sperber was A-3 Coach of the Year at Lapwai before moving on as an assistant last year at Genesee. Sperber is being considered for the Colton (Wash.) job.

Kellogg officials initially approached Amos’ assistant Tim Kimberling about the Wildcats position. But Kimberling would either like to join Amos at CdA or continue as an assistant at Kellogg.

CdA standout signs

Coeur d’Alene shortstop Nick Rook has given an oral commitment to attend the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

, DataTimes